Arsenal narrowed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to just three points after a dominant 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace in a London derby at Selhurst Park, with Gabriel Jesus delivering a match-winning performance.
Fresh off his midweek Carabao Cup hat-trick against the Eagles, Jesus continued his red-hot form, netting twice in the opening 14 minutes to take his tally to five goals in four days. The Brazilian opened the scoring with a clinical finish after Gabriel nodded down Bukayo Saka’s precise cross. Minutes later, he doubled his tally by curling in Arsenal’s 24th goal from a corner since the start of last season.
Palace managed a brief reprieve when Ismaila Sarr, enjoying a rich vein of form with four goals in his last seven league games, curled home a superb equalizer. However, their hopes of staying in the contest were dealt a blow when Jean-Philippe Mateta failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity, his close-range shot brilliantly saved by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya after the hosts pressured William Saliba into an error.
Arsenal’s comfort was temporarily disrupted when Saka limped off with a suspected hamstring injury, but they quickly regained control. Moments after Gabriel struck the crossbar from another corner, Jesus saw his header hit the post, allowing Kai Havertz to pounce on the rebound and tap into an empty net.
Palace showed intent after the break, but Raya stood firm, producing crucial saves to deny Sarr twice and Mateta when it looked like the home side might mount a comeback. Arsenal punished their missed chances, extending their lead on the hour mark. Jesus’ close-range effort was parried by Dean Henderson, only for Declan Rice to collect the rebound and set up Gabriel Martinelli for a clever deflection into the net.
Rice added a fifth goal in the dying minutes, curling a composed finish past Henderson to complete the rout and underline Arsenal’s dominance.
The emphatic win leaves Arsenal three points behind Liverpool, who have two games in hand, including a highly anticipated clash with Tottenham on Super Sunday. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, remain just four points above the relegation zone and could slip further down the table if Leicester and Everton secure wins on Sunday.
